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archaeology

Ido Koch holds a 2,600-year-old seal found at Tel Hadid in 2019 (Courtesy/Ido Koch)
June 18, 2026, 11:15 am
Rare mother-of-pearl seal highlights movement of goods and ideas across Assyrian empire
2,600-year-old shell, used for a tiny seal stamped with an Assyrian-era religious symbol, originated in the Indo-Pacific. How did it reach the Holy Land?
By Zev Stub
Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu speaks at a conference on archaeology in the West Bank in Jerusalem on June 17, 2026. (Rossella Tercatin/Times of Israel)
June 18, 2026, 10:05 am
West Bank archaeology conference unearths controversy as politics takes center stage
Jerusalem event attracts hundreds, including dozens of scholars, but many in the field stay away and international participation is down; attendee calls event ‘highly politicized’
By Rossella Tercatin
The Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. (Michael Chazan at the University of Toronto)
June 17, 2026, 5:31 am
In African cave, Israeli and international scientists find signs of earliest use of fire
Evidence of burns was detected on fossilized bones deep in the Wonderwerk Cave, setting back the clock for intentional use of fire from 1 million years ago to close to 1.8 million
By Rossella Tercatin
An aerial photograph of Room B in the 101 Building at Tel 'Eton in the southeastern part of Israel's Judean Shephelah. At the bottom left corner, the two segments of a standing stone (massebah). According to a 2026 study, the stone might have been repurposed following the religious reform by biblical King Hezekiah in the 8th century BCE. (Photo by Griffin Aerial Imaging; prepared by Dvir Rotem/Tel 'Eton Archaeological Expedition)
June 16, 2026, 9:32 am
Rare cultic stone from Israelite mansion may testify to King Hezekiah’s biblical reform
A massive 2,750-year-old artifact found at Tel ‘Eton might have been repurposed after a clampdown on worship outside the Temple in Jerusalem
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists Eliran Oren and Michael Sorotskin with the statues discovered in Binyamina. (Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 15, 2026, 6:51 pm
‘Wondrous’ Roman busts unearthed in ancient winepress in northern Israel
The 1,700-year-old marble sculptures, possibly secreted away from early Christians, may depict prominent figures from the Greco-Roman world, researchers say
By Zev Stub
Excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Haifa in a prehistoric cave near Fureidis in Northern Israel. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority)
June 12, 2026, 4:19 pm
‘A time capsule’: Israeli cave sealed for millennia sheds light on obscure prehistoric clan
A site near Fureidis, south of Haifa, was occupied by early humans around 300,000 years ago, right before Home Sapiens and Neanderthals emerged in the region
By Rossella Tercatin
Workers keep flat the restored floor of the ancient theater built by Herod the Great between 23-15 BCE in the Judaean desert, southeast of Bethlehem in the West Bank, on December 7, 2020. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)
June 2, 2026, 11:07 pm
Netanyahu said to halt progress of controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill
Legislation to create new authority under the Heritage Ministry, opposed by IDF and many archaeologists, was pitched by sponsors as a step toward annexation
By Rossella Tercatin
Six grader Alon Horowitz finds a rare 'Nicolo' stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during a community excavation at Korazim National Park, in a discovery announced on June 1, 2026. (Korazim excavation team/Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
June 1, 2026, 6:00 am
12-year-old finds ancient gemstone in Galilean Jewish village cursed by Jesus
Sixth-grader Alon Horowitz finds rare ‘Nicolo’ stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during community excavation at Korazim National Park
By Rossella Tercatin
Minister of Heritage Amichay Eliyahu (left), in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026; Esti Shreiber (right), who was tapped as the new head of the Israel Antiquities Authority on May 12, 2026. On May 27, 2026, close to 60 archaeologists petitioned the High Court of Justice to block her appointment. (Left: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90; Right: Flash photography)
May 29, 2026, 2:37 am
Archaeologists petition High Court to block appointment of new antiquities authority chief
Petition deepens rift between academics and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, who have been at loggerheads over a controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill
By Rossella Tercatin
Archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, in cooperation with the staff officer of archaeology, excavated the site of Sartaba/Alexandrium in the Jordan Valley in February 2025. (Yodan Flaytman, staff officer for archaeology in Judea and Samaria)
May 24, 2026, 7:09 pm
West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill breaks Israel’s international obligations – legal official
As Knesset committee gears up to bring legislation for final votes in plenum, panel’s legal adviser warns it reinforces ‘creeping annexation’ claims; army also opposes it
By Rossella Tercatin
Israelis visit the site of the ancient village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 22, 2019, during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. (Hillel Maeir/Flash90)
May 21, 2026, 3:02 am
West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill advances as government okays $86 million heritage plan
Knesset committee working to finish controversial legislation, which critics say would mark an unprecedented step toward annexation, for final votes in the plenum on Sunday
By Rossella Tercatin
Prof. Ran Barkai from Tel Aviv University holds a segment of an ancient elephant at the La Polledrara site in Italy in an undated picture. (Tel Aviv University)
May 20, 2026, 10:07 pm
Smaller prey, not bigger brains, drove prehistoric tech revolution, Israeli researchers say
New study by Tel Aviv University scientists posits disappearance of megaherbivors in the Levant drove humans to develop smaller, more sophisticated tools 200,000 years ago
By Rossella Tercatin
The archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank, in a handout photo issued on November 20, 2025. (COGAT)
May 19, 2026, 9:28 am
Knesset panel fast-tracks West Bank antiquities bill seen as de facto annexation
Legislation aims to create new civilian body beyond Green Line, as heritage minister pushes to appoint ideological ally with limited experience to run Israel Antiquities Authority
By Rossella Tercatin
An aerial view of the Ein Hatzeva archaeological site south of the Dead Sea in an undated picture. A new study published in the journal Levant on April 27, 2026, suggests that the ancient fortress at the site was built by the biblical kingdom of Israel in the first half of the 8th century BCE and not by the Assyrian empire as previously thought. (Asaf Peretz/ Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 16, 2026, 7:51 am
How ancient seeds are rewriting the history of biblical-era trade with Arabia
New radiocarbon dating of Ein Hatzeva fortress on ancient trade route in the Arava suggests it was built 2,800 years ago by the Kingdom of Israel, shoring up Bible’s account
By Rossella Tercatin
A rare 2,000-year-old coin bearing the earliest known depiction of the Temple’s menorah was returned to the State of Israel on May 12, 2026, after a joint investigation by the US authorities and the Israel Antiquities Authority. (Eitan Klein/Israel Antiquities Authority)
May 14, 2026, 4:43 pm
2,000-year-old coin with earliest menorah image returned to Israel after seized in US
Joint operation also sees return of 2,500-year-old silver coin, one of two known examples in the world, as officials stress importance of international cooperation to combat looting
By Rossella Tercatin
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